1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hand-held tool for cutting a small BX cable and the like. It relates specifically to an improvement in the means for centering a small BX cable in the tool relative to a blade, controlling penetration of the blade and splitting the shield of the small BX without nicking the conductors regardless of the longitudinal position of the BX cable in the hand-held tool.
2. Related Prior Art
Cutting devices for processing shielded BX/MC cables are well known and disclosed by, among others, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,851,387; 4,359,819 and 4,769,909 all commonly owned with the present invention and fully incorporated herein by reference. The devices, as disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, are broadly used for cutting regular-size shielded BX(MC cables. A shielded BX/MC cable is configured with a core of electrical conductors wrapped by a helix-shaped strip or shield of formed metallic material.
The advanced manufacturing equipment is associated with cables having significantly reduced outer diameter. By reducing the outer diameter of the cable's shield, less material is being used per foot for manufacturing BX and fiber optic cables. Concomitantly, the reduction of the shield's overall size leads to the tight core of the small size cables.
These characteristics of a small diameter cable sometime require that the user manually center such a cable on the tool. If the mounted cable is not properly centered, the cutting blade of the tool may uncontrollably penetrate the cable's shield and damage the core. Furthermore, even if the user successfully centers the mounted cable, due to a small size and tight core, a blade still may penetrate deep into the shield and damage the core.
A need, therefore, exists for cutting devices that are configured to process BX electrical and fiber optic cables having a relatively small outer diameter in a time-effective and reliable manner.
Another need exists for cutting devices that are configured to center small diameter BX and other types of cables to split the shield of the mounted cable without damaging its electrical conductors.
Still another need exists for cutting devices that have a simple depth penetration control system.
A further need exists for cutting devices that have a mechanism operative to establish the desired linear position of the cutting blade relative to the cable to be processed.